FR: Northern Rhône Flashcards

1
Q

most planted AOP of the Northern Rhône? largest by volume?

A
  • Crozes-Hermitage, 1495ha - 67.5hl
  • Clairette de Die: 1400ha BUT 84.2k HL

(Crozes-Hermitage has more vines, but Clairette de Die far outpaces with volume)

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2
Q

Northern Rhône AC’s for STILL WHITES only

A

Chateau-Grillet
Condrieu
Coteaux de Die

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3
Q

Northern Rhône AC’s for sparkling

A

Saint-Peray
Clairette de Die
Crémant de Die

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4
Q

methode ancestral in the Northern Rhône

A

Clairette de Die
* don’t forget.. min 35gl RS, made from min 75% MPG + clairette. Blanc/Rosé

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5
Q

Northern Rhône climate

A

Continental
* avg 2070 sunshine hours
* 32in rain/yr

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6
Q

Côte-Rôtie communes

A

Ampuis
Saint-Cyr-sur-Rhône
Tupins-Semons

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7
Q

Côte-Rôtie encépagement/assemblage

A

Rouge: Syrah, max 20% Viognier

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8
Q

Côte-Rôtie: min. planting density, rendement de base?

A

6000 vines/hectare
40 hl/ha max

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9
Q

Original 3 communes of production in Condrieu?

A

Condrieu
Vérin
Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône

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10
Q

What 4 communes were incorporated into the expanded Condrieu AC? In what year?

A

Limony
Chavanay
Malleval
Saint-Pierre-de-Boeuf
(1967)

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11
Q

Condrieu size

A

About 200ha
(Vins Rhône, 2023)

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12
Q

Cornas AOP communes

A

Cornas

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13
Q

Cornas AC plantings

A

150ha

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14
Q

Coteaux de Die AOP -grapes/styles

A

100% Clairette
Blanc (only)

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15
Q

Crozes-Hermitage - grapes/styles

A

WHITE: Marsanne and/or Roussanne
RED: Syrah + max 15% Marsanne/Roussanne

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16
Q

How do the soils of Crozes-Hermitage differ from north to south?

A

North: granite, similar to Hermitage
South: alluvial soils of glacial origin

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17
Q

Chateau-Grillet
- ownership/other properties
- Condrieu/CDR bottles

A

F. Pinault since ‘11, purchased from Neyret-Gachet. 3.5ha monopole in Veyrin
* Condrieu: La Carthery
* Cotes du Rhone: Pontcin

Also owns:
Chateau Latour (Pauillac)
Clos de Tart (Morey-St-Denis)
Eisele Vineyard (Napa)
Domaine d’Eugenie (Vosne-Romanee)

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18
Q

Châtillon-en-Diois - grapes/styles

A

WHITE: Chardonnay and/or Aligote
ROSÉ/RED: min 60% Gamay + Pinot, Syrah

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19
Q

Hermitage AOP communes

A

Crozes-Hermitage
Tain l’Hermitage
Larnage

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20
Q

Hermitage AOP - grapes/styles

A

WHITE: Marsanne and/or Roussanne
RED: Min. 85% Syrah w Marsanne and/or Roussanne
VIN DE PAILLE: Marsanne and/or Roussanne

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21
Q

Hermitage Vin de Paille
- drying requirements
- min RS/sugar
- rendement de base

A

Marsanne and/or Roussanne
* grapes harvest @ 170gl must weight; dry minimum 45 days to 350gl must weight
* no specified RS. Min 12% actual, min 19.5% potential ABV
* rendement de base = 15hl/ha (min 6000 vines/ha planting density)

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22
Q

Hermitage AOP soils

A

West: higher concentration of granite, defined by the Massif Central. Topsoils of mica, schist, gneiss

East: characterized by Alpine glacial deposits

The Rhone River forms a valley between the Massif Central and the Alps. It used to flow on the east of the hill, but changed direction.

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23
Q

Saint-Joseph - grapes/styles

A

WHITE: Marsanne and/or Roussanne
RED: min. 90% Syrah + Marsanne/Roussanne

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24
Q

Saint-Péray AOP grapes/styles

A
  • Marsanne and/or Roussanne
  • Blanc, Blanc Mousseux (min 12 months elevage from date of tirage, no lees stipulation)
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25
Q

Are there any communes authorized to produce Cotes du Rhone-Villages in the Northern Rhone?

A

No

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26
Q

The Cotes du Rhone AOP covers what 6 departments?

A

Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Vaucluse, Rhône, Loire

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27
Q

local name for N. Rhone’s dry stone terraces

A

drystone walls = cheys
terraces they create = chaillées

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28
Q

Clairette de Die AOP - grapes, styles, RS

A
  1. Mousseux Blanc (Méthode Traditionnelle): Clairette
    * max 15gl RS, min 3.5 atm, 9m on lees
  2. Mousseux Blanc Méthode Ancestrale: min. 75% Muscat à Petits Grains plus Clairette
    * min. 35gl RS, min 3 atm, 4m on lees
  3. Mousseux Rosé Méthode Ancestrale: min. 75% Muscat à Petits Grains plus Clairette and Gamay (max. 10%)
    * min 35gl RS, min 3 atm, 4 mon on lees
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29
Q

Condrieu’s rendement de base

A

41 hl/ha (37 prior to 2011)

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30
Q

1st producer in Cornas to estate bottle?

A

Auguste Clape

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31
Q

Noel Verset

A

Cornas; 1st vintage 1943, last in 2006
* traditional - always blended lieux-dits
(Chaillots, Champelrose, Sabarotte, Reynard)

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32
Q

Thierry Allemand top bottlings

A
  1. Chaillot: a younger vine cuvee, made primarily from Chaillot but includes young vines from other holdings
  2. Reynard: 35 to 90yr old vines, including the plot purchased from Noel Verset
  3. Sans Soufre: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2011
    (usually from Reynard, labels just as Cornas)
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33
Q

August Clape bottlings

A
  1. Cornas
    A selection of the domaine’s oldest vines blended from his prime selection of holding (Reynards, La Côte, Geynale, Tézier, Petite Côte, Les Mazards, Patou, Pied La Vigne, Chaillot, and Sabarotte)

Never de-stemmed. Ages 22 months in 6 to 12hl foudre

  1. Le Vin des Amis, VDF: Syrah, fermented in cement and aged for 2 months in foudre before bottling. From a plot that sits between Cornas and the Rhone River
  2. Cotes du Rhone
  3. Rennaissance: young vine Cornas
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34
Q

Villages in both Condrieu / St Joseph

A

Chavanay
Malleval
Saint Pierre-de-Boeuf

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35
Q

Clos-Florentin

A

Jean-Louis Chave
Located in Mauves in St. Joseph
Acquired in 2009

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36
Q

max elevation of Hermitage hill

A

344M

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37
Q

Guigal’s La La’s

A
  1. La Mouline (1966): Cote Blonde, 89% Syrah + 11% Viognier
  2. La Landonne (1978): Brune, 100% Syrah
  3. La Turque (1985): Brune, 93% Syrah + 7% Viognier
  4. soon to be… Renard
38
Q

What is Guigal’s 4th “La La”

A

La Reynarde: named for stream between Cote Blonde, Cote Brune.
* Will be pure Syrah, est 2022 1st vintage. Avl from 2026 at the earliest

39
Q

Arzelle

A

Very loose weathered granite
* poor quality, low nutrient, gives more floral, red fruit wines with softer tannic structure

40
Q

Wood stake vine training system used in Cote Rotie?

A

Echelas

41
Q

Les Grandes Places

A

top lieux-dit in Verenay, Cote Rotie
Jean-Michel Gerin, Clusel-Roch

42
Q

La Viallière

A

Schist soils. Verenay, Cote Rotie

Single Vineyard labels:
- Jean-Michel Gerin
- Champet
- Rene Rostaing
- Clusel-Roch

43
Q

GAEC

A

Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions is an EU term/program BUT
in France…
Groupement Agricole d’Exploitation en Commun: a model of group farming with pooled resources, land and capital

44
Q

Single vineyard bottled La Landonne

A

Guigal
Rostaing
Delas
Jean-Michel Gerin

45
Q

La Landonne soils

A

Schist, rich in iron oxide

46
Q

N. Rhone AC’s on the east bank

A

Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage

47
Q

Mistral’s Northern Rhone name

A

La Bise

48
Q

knight at the top of Hermitage

A

Henri Gaspard de Stérimberg

49
Q

Syrah parentage

A

Mondeuse Blanche x Dureza

50
Q

Luminescence
- producer
- vintages
- style

A

Guigal’s sweet Viognier. Condrieu AC
* 3 overripe vintages only: 1999, 2003, 2015

No botrytis. The 2015 was 14.8% ABV with 80g RS. It sold on release from K&L for $80/half bottle. It is sold as Condrieu AC.

51
Q

Viognier’s hero in Condrieu

A

Georges Vernay
* Condrieu: Vernon, La Caille, St. Agathe
* Cote Rotie: Lancement, Maison Rouge, Coteaux de Semons

52
Q

Most planted white grape in the Northern Rhone

A

Marsanne

53
Q

La Doriane

A

Guigal; Condrieu AC

54
Q

Stream between Cote Brune and Cote Blonde?

A

Reynard

55
Q

Stream that separates Cote Rotie from Condrieu?

A

Bassenon

56
Q

Cote Rotie soils

A

North: Schist with black and white mica, quartz. More iron, manganese

South: Granite increases. Layers of gneiss. Pale brown, sandy loose texture

57
Q

Cote Rotie’s “other” Syrah

A

Sérine: ancient, pre-clonal variety of Syrah found in and around Cote Rotie
* smaller berried, more aromatic, lower yields, suited to high density plantings. Syrah’s adaptation to Cote Rotie’s vineyards?
* Levet, Villard are proponents. S. Ogier has a bottling dedicated to it

58
Q

Top lieux-dit in Condrieu

A

Vernon
Chery
Colombier
Clos Bouche
Cote Bonnette
Cote Chatillon

59
Q

Gore

A

pinkish sanded granite with quartz in it

[Beaujolais, Condrieu, Cornas, St-Joseph, Cotes Roannaise]

60
Q

Domaine Jamet

A

Ampuis
- La Landonne (2018)
- Condrieu “Vernillon”: Cote Chatillon + Vernon (2015)
- Cote Brune
* Fructus Voluptus/early drinking wines are de-stemmed; staunch whole cluster advocate

61
Q

Les Bessards

A

Top lieux-dit in Hermitage
* S-facing; Grands and Petits Bessards
* granite AF
Delas’ main vyd, foundation for Chave Hermitage, 1/4 of Jaboulet La Chapelle,

62
Q

Le Méal

A

top lieux-dit in Hermitage, behind Les Bessards
* core of Jaboulet’s La Chapelle, important to Chave’s Hermitage

63
Q

L’Ermite
- producer/variety
- location
- soils

A

Chapoutier; single parcel bottling of Marsanne

Chapel of St. Christopher sits at the top
* top lieux dit, Hermitage: soils are a meeting point of Massif Central granite + glacial/Alpine deposits where the Rhone washed away the hill

64
Q

Chapoutier’s top Hermitage Blanc parcel selections

A

L’Ermite (Marsanne)
La Meal (Marsanne)
De L’Oree (Marsanne; Les Murets)

65
Q

Hermitage’s “Big Three” lieux-dit

A

L’Ermite
Les Bessards
Les Meal

66
Q

Les Greffeaux

A

Hermitage top lieux-dit

67
Q

JL Chave
- location
- top wine
- style

A

Mauves; produce Hermitage, St-Jo
* Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin: barrel selection from top vintages
* blend sites, no single vineyards

Bessards makes up the heart of the regular Hermitage. 10 - 33% new oak. Reds are de-stemmed.

68
Q

Chave Hermitage Blanc
- lieux dits
- blend

A

l’Ermite (Marsanne)
Péléat (Marsanne)
Rocoules (Marsanne, Roussanne)
Maison Blanche (Marsanne)
* typically 85% Marsanne + Roussanne

69
Q

Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin

A

Chave’s barrel selection, done just before bottling. Only in top vintages and only when it doesn’t compromise quality of the regular blend.

1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009, 2010, and 2015

70
Q

Rostaing

A

Cote Rotie; inherited Gentaz-Durvieux vineyards
* Top Cote Rotie sites: Fongeant, La Landonne, La Viallière, Cote Brune, Cote Blonde
* Top Condrieu sites: Cote Bonnette, Sainte-Agathe, Cote Chatillon

71
Q

Chapoutier top Hermitage Rouge selections parcellaire

A

Le Pavillon (Bessards)
Les Meal
L’Ermite
Les Greffieux

Remember: Based in Tain l’Hermitage; world’s 1st Braille wine labels

72
Q

Top Cornas lieux-dits

A

Les Chaillots
Les Renards
Les Mazards
La Côte
Geynale

73
Q

Condrieu name origin

A

Coin de rieux = corner of streams
* for the 3 small streams/rivers running through the town… Bassenon, Arbuel, Le Vernon

74
Q

“original” Saint-Joseph villages

A
  1. Mauves
  2. Tournon
  3. Saint-Jean-de-Muzols
  4. Vion
  5. Glun
  6. Lemps
75
Q

Best area of production in Saint-Joseph + top lieux-dits

A

Historic crus of the region are in the valleys perpendicular to the Rhone; the slopes between Mauves, Lemps & Saint-Jean-de-Muzols. Granite, gneiss soils

  • Les Chalaix
  • Les Oliviers
  • La Dardouille
  • Saint-Joseph
  • Sainte-Épine
  • Bachasson
76
Q

Raymond Trollat

A

Saint-Joseph’s legend, Saint Jean de Muzols
Retired in 2006
* ultra traditional. Whole cluster, large foudre
* Gonon owns his vines, releases a “Vieilles Vignes” bottling from those vines in some years

77
Q

Saint-Joseph orientation

A

East-facing aspect
* Hermitage faces south
* Cote Rotie mostly SE
* Cornas also faces east… but has historically been warmer so pre-climate change this was less challenging

78
Q

Jaboulet
-top wine/lieux dits

A

Hermitage based
Top wine = La Chapelle
(Bessards, Meal, Rocoules, Greffieux)

79
Q

Cornas soils

A

Massif Central Granite - the most granitic of N. Rhône terroirs
* limestone in the north, more sand in the SW

80
Q

Cornas name origin

A

Celtic for “burnt land”

81
Q

Cornas lay of the land

A

The slope and the plateau. There’s all kinds of valleys, aspects, and microclimates.
* steep south-facing slopes let vines soak in the sun while sheltered from northern winds. The Mistral doesn’t have as much effect here
* southern position = a degree warmer than Cote Rotie

82
Q

Defining feature of Saint-Peray

A

Montagne de Crussol: huge hill of limestone

83
Q

Historical “core” villages of Crozes-Hermitage

A

Gervans
Mercurol
Crozes

84
Q

Crozes-Hermitage soils/lay of the land

A

North (Gervans, Mercurol, Crozes): granite covered in loess. Steep, terraced, in the face of the Mistral

South/SE (The Chassis): flat alluvial terraces

85
Q

Crozes-Hermitage river

A

Rhône River (east bank) + Isere River (S/SE)

86
Q

Brézème

A

S-facing slope on the east bank of the River Ouveze (diff than the S. Rhone Ouveze)
* like a miniature Hermitage - but instead granite
* prices rivaled Hermitage in the 15th century
* Cotes du Rhone but they seem to tolerate its name on the label

87
Q

Comte Rhodaniennes

A

massive IGP, covers 9 departments
*follows the path of the Rhone River

88
Q

Worst Northern Rhone vintages 2000 to 2010

A

2002: BAD. Disrupted flowering, Horrid summer with rotten, unripe grapes. White wines fared better.

2008: cool grey season. Too much rain. Not as bad as 02.

89
Q

Best Northern Rhone vintages 2000 - 2010

A

2010 is the standout. Reduced crop, long season - Oct harvest. Concentrated, ageable.

2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 were all on the better side

90
Q

Worst Northern Rhone vintages since 2010

A

2013: cool, rainy. Up to 40% loss. Bad for red, excellent for white.
2014: cool, wet. Good whtie wine vintage.
2021: frost, mildew, hail, big summer rains, more mildew, harvest storms. WORST. Trash for both red/white.

91
Q

Best Northern Rhone vintages since 2010

A

2010, 2015, 2019 = BEST

2010: 5 * for red/white.
2015: Guigal said best in 55 years
2018: abundant yields
2019: Chave’s 1st VDP in 10 years

Good back-to-back: 2015 to 2020 was a solid stretch
(2016 saw some hail, 2017 was not as great for whites - yields down 50% in Condrieu)